Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 3:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 3:46 p.m.

If roundabouts confuse you, just follow the directional signs, take care, and you'll be fine. So the experts tell us.

Well, that's not exactly true at the two-lane roundabout in Venice at Jacaranda Boulevard and Venice Avenue.

Just ask Carlos Sousa of Venice.

At 8:30 p.m. on March 6, Sousa entered the roundabout from East Venice Avenue, intending to continue eastward toward River Road. Following the instructions on the roundabout signs and the arrows on the pavement, he got into the right, or outside, lane.

At the same time, another car entered at the same spot in the inside lane. When the two vehicles reached the first opening in the roundabout, which turns onto Jacaranda heading south, the second vehicle, trying to leave, suddenly veered into Sousa's SUV.

"I never saw her car until I felt the collision," Sousa says.

When the Florida Highway Patrol cited Sousa for "improper change of lanes — pulling out in front of a vehicle going in the same direction," he was astounded.

Sousa headed to court on May 9, armed with evidence. He had website documentation showing that he followed established roundabout protocol. He had photos of the pavement markings. He had photos of the signs that indicated the other driver should have been in the outside lane to make the turn onto Jacaranda.

When Sousa was done, the judge nodded and indicated he agreed with Sousa's interpretation. Then, from the back of the courtroom, several law enforcement officers (Sousa wasn't sure from which agency) approached with a depiction of the roundabout posted on Google Earth.

The image shows dashed lines that in essence conflict with the instructions on the signs. Drivers in the outside lane who continue past a roundabout opening have to cut across dashed lines, which means, according to the uniform traffic control handbook, that they have to yield to anyone on the other side.

So, in this case, that would mean drivers in the inside lane always have the right of way. Period.

The judge reversed himself, but he took it easy on Sousa, withholding adjudication and charging him "only" $60. The clerk, who had already marked Sousa's citation "not guilty," had to scratch it out and check another box.

Bottom line: At the Jacaranda roundabout, the directions on the signs reflect standard roundabout protocol. However, if you follow that protocol, you're likely to get a ticket and points on your license if there's an accident.

'Slow learning curve'

Sousa is not the only driver who has suffered from this paradox. On March 29, the FHP cited a school bus driver under almost identical circumstances.

There are undoubtedly more, although no one has accident statistics for the intersection since the roundabout was installed.

It seems that the Sheriff's Office follows the FHP lead, and unless the FHP changes its stance, or the county relines the pavement or changes its signs, the problem will persist.

Neither side seems ready to budge, although Trooper Ken Watson, who has handled a number of fender-benders at the roundabout, admits that the right-of-way enforcement goes against the grain of "99.8 percent" of the normal rules of the road.

Sarasota County traffic engineer Chris Hauber alludes to a "very slow learning curve taking place" at the Venice roundabout, which has led to more signs.

Maybe too many signs, says Rod Warner of Sarasota, who has made a second career of advocating roundabouts. "Seems to me, if anything, some fender benders like Mr. Sousa and the school bus have led to 'over signage' to the point where so many signs become confusing and distracting to an entering driver," Warner said in an email.

He also questioned the FHP right-of-way interpretation. "Officer unfamiliarity with what ticketing rule applies at a roundabout incident could be because there are very very few multi-lane roundabouts in Florida (way way behind other states)," he wrote.

Hauber says the roundabout's designer, Andrew Wallwork, who has participated in meetings with FHP officials and other Sarasota traffic experts, says he's never encountered the type of conflict that has arisen in Venice.

We can only hope that great minds will come to some sort of solution.

In the meantime, Hauber offers a fitting reminder: "You may know what you're doing in a roundabout. That doesn't mean the next guy does."

And, as the final insult, at the Jacaranda roundabout, the guy who doesn't know what he's doing probably has the right of way.

<p>If roundabouts confuse you, just follow the directional signs, take care, and you'll be fine. So the experts tell us.</p><p>Well, that's not exactly true at the two-lane roundabout in Venice at Jacaranda Boulevard and Venice Avenue.</p><p>Just ask Carlos Sousa of Venice.</p><p>At 8:30 p.m. on March 6, Sousa entered the roundabout from East Venice Avenue, intending to continue eastward toward River Road. Following the instructions on the roundabout signs and the arrows on the pavement, he got into the right, or outside, lane.</p><p>At the same time, another car entered at the same spot in the inside lane. When the two vehicles reached the first opening in the roundabout, which turns onto Jacaranda heading south, the second vehicle, trying to leave, suddenly veered into Sousa's SUV.</p><p>"I never saw her car until I felt the collision," Sousa says.</p><p>When the Florida Highway Patrol cited Sousa for "improper change of lanes — pulling out in front of a vehicle going in the same direction," he was astounded.</p><p>Sousa headed to court on May 9, armed with evidence. He had website documentation showing that he followed established roundabout protocol. He had photos of the pavement markings. He had photos of the signs that indicated the other driver should have been in the outside lane to make the turn onto Jacaranda.</p><p>When Sousa was done, the judge nodded and indicated he agreed with Sousa's interpretation. Then, from the back of the courtroom, several law enforcement officers (Sousa wasn't sure from which agency) approached with a depiction of the roundabout posted on Google Earth.</p><p>The image shows dashed lines that in essence conflict with the instructions on the signs. Drivers in the outside lane who continue past a roundabout opening have to cut across dashed lines, which means, according to the uniform traffic control handbook, that they have to yield to anyone on the other side.</p><p>So, in this case, that would mean drivers in the inside lane always have the right of way. Period.</p><p>The judge reversed himself, but he took it easy on Sousa, withholding adjudication and charging him "only" $60. The clerk, who had already marked Sousa's citation "not guilty," had to scratch it out and check another box.</p><p>Bottom line: At the Jacaranda roundabout, the directions on the signs reflect standard roundabout protocol. However, if you follow that protocol, you're likely to get a ticket and points on your license if there's an accident.</p><p><b>'Slow learning curve'</b></p><p>Sousa is not the only driver who has suffered from this paradox. On March 29, the FHP cited a school bus driver under almost identical circumstances.</p><p>There are undoubtedly more, although no one has accident statistics for the intersection since the roundabout was installed.</p><p>It seems that the Sheriff's Office follows the FHP lead, and unless the FHP changes its stance, or the county relines the pavement or changes its signs, the problem will persist.</p><p>Neither side seems ready to budge, although Trooper Ken Watson, who has handled a number of fender-benders at the roundabout, admits that the right-of-way enforcement goes against the grain of "99.8 percent" of the normal rules of the road.</p><p>"I mean, a driver's in my blind spot ... how could I possibly fathom he's going to cut me off?" Watson says.</p><p>Sarasota County traffic engineer Chris Hauber alludes to a "very slow learning curve taking place" at the Venice roundabout, which has led to more signs.</p><p>Maybe too many signs, says Rod Warner of Sarasota, who has made a second career of advocating roundabouts. "Seems to me, if anything, some fender benders like Mr. Sousa and the school bus have led to 'over signage' to the point where so many signs become confusing and distracting to an entering driver," Warner said in an email.</p><p>He also questioned the FHP right-of-way interpretation. "Officer unfamiliarity with what ticketing rule applies at a roundabout incident could be because there are very very few multi-lane roundabouts in Florida (way way behind other states)," he wrote.</p><p>Hauber says the roundabout's designer, Andrew Wallwork, who has participated in meetings with FHP officials and other Sarasota traffic experts, says he's never encountered the type of conflict that has arisen in Venice.</p><p>We can only hope that great minds will come to some sort of solution.</p><p>In the meantime, Hauber offers a fitting reminder: "You may know what you're doing in a roundabout. That doesn't mean the next guy does."</p><p>And, as the final insult, at the Jacaranda roundabout, the guy who doesn't know what he's doing probably has the right of way.</p><p><i>Eric Ernst's column runs Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Contact him at eric.ernst@heraldtribune.com or (941) 486-3073.</i></p>